Peyton's Place (and Nick's, and Nikki's and Brody's too)!: 2013

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Halloween Craft Night

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to have a craft night at our house, and a few of our neighborhood friends came over to join. We made pumpkins out of plates, skeletons out of q-tips, and a candy corn tree. As you can see, lots of fun was had by all!

Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to go to the Right Choices Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Missouri, to celebrate 2 sweet little girls birthdays. Camry and Kenlee Lowden both turned 2 within 2 weeks of eachother, so Erin and April had a joint party.

The kids had fun on the cow train, the hay ride, the slides, looking at the animals in the small farm zoo, eating kettle corn, swinging on tire swings, exploring caves, and picking pumpkins. Peyton decided she wanted to go in her Halloween costume--why not?

Ward Fall Festival 2013

This year, our ward fall festival consisted of decorating classroom doors inside the church, and handing out candy to the kids who came by, a costume contest, and a chili cook off. I brought some healthy quinoa chicken chili just to contribute, and wound up winning 2nd place in the chili cook off! I have never won any awards for cooking before. Who says healthy can't taste good?

Brody went as the Hulk, Peyton was a kitty cat, and Beckett was a pirate. Aren't they adorable? We had so much fun!

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Rest Well, Sweet Angel

I only have the emotional capacity to write one post tonight, so this will be it.

I am a member of a special sisterhood I have formed with some girls I went to highschool with, and other mama's who want to live a natural lifestyle as much as possible. We call ourselves NMOSS, or Natural Mothers of South Sound.

One of our sweet NMOSS sisters, Brittnee Denham, had to do the hardest thing any parent will ever have to do. She had to kiss and hug her daughter for the last time. She had to tell her she loved her for the last time. She had to stroke her hair, and inhale her scent, with the hopes of bottling it in her mind forever. She had to examine her fingers and her toes, and each magnificent feature that made up baby Jorja, and capture them as a mental picture for eternity. Then, she had to say goodbye, and watch, as her daughter passed away into our Heavenly Father's Kingdom.

I know that Brittnee and Chris will raise Jorja in Heaven someday, when it is their time. I know that Ryder will always be Jorja's brother, and in the eternities, they will be able to develop the relationship that they should have been able to form through childhood and adolescents, and into adulthood. I know that families are forever. I know this, and this brings me comfort. I just pray that Heavenly Father will wrap His loving arms around Brittnee, and Chris, and Ryder, and comfort them, for as long as it takes for their hearts to stop breaking...even if that means he holds them forever.

I spent a lot of time getting frustrated, and short, and raising my voice with my children today. I knelt in prayer tonight and begged for forgiveness and expressed unending gratitude that I had the time I had with my children today...no matter how crazy, and disobedient, and stressful my children were, or the day was. I am grateful. Life is too short to not play around, to worry about it being 5 minutes past bedtime. It is too short to tell my son to brush his teeth, when he really wants to show me the dance move he just learned at Hip Hop. It is too short not to take the time to go through my daughter's school work, and have her explain each and every page, when all I really want to do is take a bath. It is too short not to answer "who's there?" 100 times when Beckett does a knock-knock joke. Life is to short not to live it to the fullest, and to show your children unconditional love.

So, wherever you are at, no matter how old your children are, go tell them you love them. If you are in a proximity that would allow it, hug them tight, and don't let go. And don't forget to keep the Denham family in your prayers constantly at this time of grief and loss. Heaven received a very beautiful angel tonight.

Miss Spider

Hanging on the wall of the Kindergarten Hall, at Apple Glen Elementary, in Bentonville, AR, is this piece of art work, made by Peyton Petersen. I love it! "Miss Spider is nice. I was nice when I helped my brother clean his room." Good job, Peyton!

BFF's

This is Peyton and her BFF, Sydney. Sydney's family moved here about a year ago, and she and Peyton have been friends ever since. They don't go to the same school, but are in the same class at church, and we TRY to get the girls together for play dates every so often...you know...like, every 6 months. Lindsay (Syd's mom) and I are trying to do better though! Aren't they just the cutest little friends you have ever seen?

Bare with me...

As I go back and forth between uploading old pictures, and telling new stories/posting new pictures. It will be a process to get caught up, but I promise once I am caught up, I will ocntinue to post regularly.

On that note, I wanted to tell a little funny story about Beckett.

He is finally learning to talk, and it is so fun to hear his words.

The other day in the car he said "mom! mom! mom! mom!" I said "What? What? What? What?" to which he sat, in deep thought for a while, as to what he would say, and he said "Cars." We did this back and forth for about 15 minutes.

Now, his favorite thing is knock-knock jokes. They go like this:

B- Knock knock.

me- Who is there?

B- Mom.

me- Mom who?

B- Car. (Laughs incessantly)

I just love that boy! He brings a lot of sunshine to my gloomy days!

Cute Beckett Pictures!

More cute Beckett pictures for your enjoyment. :)

I Miss These Days

Serving in Young Womens with these women and youth was the highlight of my membership in the church so far. I really, really, really miss everything about it...including the meetings. Lots, and lots of meetings. I am the type of person who really has to be thrown into something to get everything I need to out of it, and the same goes for my activity in church. The busier the calling, the stronger my testimony gets. I was so blessed to work with such an amazing presidency, and great girls, and I will always cherish the time I spent in Young Women's. It was such an honor!

The Baby Whisperer

My friend, Angie's husband, Russell is the baby whisperer. We spent Christmas Eve 2011, and New Years Eve 2011 with them, and every time Beckett got fussy, Russell would take him, and he would calm down. I used to joke that I was going to call in the middle of the night if I couldn't get the baby to calm down. Luckily it never came to that. ;)

Whoops! I forgot a few!

Beckett's Birth 11/21/11

Looking back, I'm really beginning to think that I only facebooked Beckett's birth story and pictures, and did not post them on here...so here it goes in a 4:30 AM-I-Have-Only-Had-2-Hours-Of-Sleep rendition:

I was induced with Beckett, as I was with the other 2. I went into NW Hospital in Bentonville at 5:30 in the morning, and they started the pitocin at 7:00am. I received my epidural (hallelujah!) at 8:30. I remember telling the anthesiologist that he was my best friend and that I truly, with all my heart, loved him. I think he thought I was joking. I wasn't.

It was the best epidural I ever received! I did not feel ANYTHING at all. Literally. At around 5:00pm, I knew it was time to push, so I called for the nurse who checked me, and told me to "hold on, don't push, just breathe through it." Beckett was crowning and ready to come. She called the doctor, and I breathed through contractions and the desire to push for 45 minutes!!! At that point, I didn't care if the janitor delivered my baby, I just wanted him out. When Dr. Hannah finally arrived, I pushed one time and he told me that Beckett was a big boy. I had no idea he had even come out. I'm not joking, the best epidural EVER!

Beckett was born at 5:43, and weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 20 inches long.

We had many friends and family visit over the next few days, and my sweet Nana and Aunt Emily stayed with the kids and cleaned and decorated my house for Christmas. Beckett and I stayed an extra night, so that his circumcision could be checked on after 24 hours.

Here are the pictures:

Freshly born baby